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CA-rvomfozy-f United States Patent O 3,269,236 PACKAGING MACHINE Kenneth R. lIohnson and Carl J. Beert, Rockford, Ill., assignors to Bartelt Engineering Company, Inc., Rockford, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 12, 1962, Ser. No. 246,287 9 Claims. (Cl. S25- 112) This invention relates to a machine for forming, filling and closing flexible walled bags and, more particularly, to a machine in which the bags are formed by heat sealing two strips of packaging material transversely to form a series of connected bags and 4in which the bags are severed and advanced by a carrier through closing and filling stations.

The general object of the invention is to construct and arrange the various mechanisms and to correlate the mechanisms to each other in a novel manner so that the strips and the bags may -advance with a continuous motion and at a high rate of speed while still accurately filling and neatly forming the bags.

Another object is to advance the carrier at a speed greater than the speed of the connected bags and to provide novel mechanism for accelerating the severed bags and delivering the same to the carrier While maintaining positive control of the bags at all times.

A related object is to provide accelerating mechanism of selectively variable speed whereby the speed of the accelerated bags may be correlated precisely with the speed of the carrier for proper feeding of the bags into the carrier.

The invention also resides in the construction of various of the mechanisms operating on the strips and the bags.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a packaging machine embodying the novel features of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a package made on the machine.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the steps performed on the machine.

FIG. 3a is a schematic perspective view forming a continuation of the right-hand side of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating the drive to the various mechanisms.

FIG. 4a is a schematic view forming a continuation of the right-hand side of FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in FIG. 1, parts being broken away and shown in section.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the heat sealing bars.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 7 7 in FIG. 5, parts being broken away and shown in section.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 8-8 in FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken along the line 9-9 in FIG. 13.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the mechanism for cutting the bags from the strips.

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of the mechanism used for guiding the bags.

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary plan view of the parts shown in FIG. 11 but with the parts in a different position.

FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic plan View of the mechanisms for severing the 'bags and transferring the bags to the carrier.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of one of the clamps used to hold a bag on the carrier.

3,269,236 Patented August 30, 1966 ICC FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the mechanism for delivering the severed bags to the carrier.

FIG. 15a is a fragmentary perspective view of an alternate form of the drive arrangement for the mechanism shown in FIG. l5.

FIG. 15b is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 15b-15b of FIG. 15a

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the forward end of the carrier, parts being broken away and shown in section.

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 17-17 in FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a fragmentary sectional View taken along the line 18-18 in FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the filling mechanism, parts Ibeing broken away and shown in section.

FIG. 20 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken along the line 20-20 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 21 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the filling mechanism, parts being broken away and shown in section.

FIG. 22 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 22-22 in FIG. l.

FIG. 23 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 23-23 in FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a fragmentary plan View of the mechanism for unloading the bags from the machine.

As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the invention is embodied in a machine for forming, filling and closing a pouch or bag 30 which is composed of two rectangular panels 31 disposed face to face and joined together at their margins preferably by a fold at the bottom and heat seals 32 and 33 at the top and sides respectively. Herein, the bags are made from a web 34 of sheet material either composed of or coated on one side with a thermoplastic material and drawn off a supply roll 35. The web is folded longitudinally (see FIGS. 3 and 3a) and the two resulting strips 34a are heat sealed together transversely at spaced intervals as indicated at 36 to form a series of connected bags. The latter then are separated by cutting the seals 36 intermediate their edges so that each seal forms the trailing side seal 33 of one bag and the leading side seal of the next bag. After .being separated from the web 34, each bag is filled with the product to be packaged and then is closed by the top seal 32.

The various mechanisms for advancing, folding and cutting the web 34 and for advancing, filling and closing the bags 30 are mounted on an elongated, horizontal base 37 and are operated in timed relation to each other by a horizontal shaft 38 (FIGS. 4 and 4a) journaled in and extending lengthwise of the base. The supply roll is supported on the end of the lmachine Abase 37 by a bracket 39 and the web 34 is drawn off the roll and -over a plow 40 which islocated at a station 41 and which folds the web longitudinally, the we'b being adbanced in this case by two sets of feed rollers 42 and 43 spaced along the base (FIGS. 1 and 4). From the folding station, the web is advanced to a station 44 where the cross seals 36 are formed and then to a cut-off station 45 where the successive end bags are severed from the web. After being cut from the web, the bags are carried edgewise by a carrier or conveyor 46 which carries the bags first through a filling station 47 and then through a top sealing station 48. As shown in FIGS. 4a and 16, the conveyor may take the form of an endless chain 194 one run of which forms an extension of the path of the web 34 and the bags are supported in spaced relation on this run by grippers or clamps 50.

, According to the present invention, the various mechanisms for forming, filling and closing the bags 30 are constructed vand correlated with each other in a novel manner so that the web 34 and the bags on the conveyor 46 may move continuously and at a comparatively high speed to produce a large number of completed packages per minute while maintaining the accuracy of the lill and the overall neatness of the packages. To these ends, the mechanisms are constructed so that they may perform their individual functions in periods longer than in prior machines of this type and yet still produce packages at a higher rate.

In general, the high rate of production is achieved while the accuracy and neatness of the package are maintained by arranging the operating mechanisms to move with the web 34 and the bags 30 as they are performing their packaging functions but to operate with the same precision and ruggedness as the corresponding mechanisms of appreciably slower machines hereto- .fore employed. Thus, the mechanism 51 for forming the cross seals 36 firmly engages the web without stretching or wrinkling the latter to make strong, neat and accurately spaced seals. Similarly, the bags are positively held open preparatory to filling, the air in the bag is displaced first by the filling mechanism 52 rather than by the product and the bags are lled from the bottom, all this being accomplished over a comparatively long period in spite of the high speed production of the machine. Also, the top seals 32, like the side seals 33, are made precisely to maintain the attractive appearance of the bag.

In the present instance, the shaft 38 (FIG. 4) for driving the operating mechanisms is journaled in bearings 53 and is rotated continuously by a motor 54 through speed reducing chain drive 55. Both sets of feed rolls 42 and 43 are driven in unison from a common shaft 56 which is journaled on the base 37 parallel to the drive shaft 38 and driven, in turn, by the latter through a chain 57, an intermediate shaft 58 and a chain 59. The feed rolls 42 are rotatably supported on opposite sides of the web 34 by a bracket 60 (FIG. 1) which is mounted on the base 37 in advance of the sealing station 44. Meshing gears 61 (FIG. 4) fast on the rolls drive the latter together but in opposite directions and are driven from the shaft 56 through bevel gears 62. Similarly, the feed rolls 43, which are journalled in a bracket 63 on the opposite side of the sealing station, are driven from the shaft 56 through bevel gears 64 and meshing gears 65 on the lower ends of the rolls. One roll of the set 43 has a rubber covering 66 which stops short of the fold line of the web and prevents excessive creasing. The rolls 42 and 43 draw the web 34 from the supply roll 35 and across the plow 40 which may be of well-known construction and comprises a stationary triangular plate 67 supported on the base 37 and inclined downwardly, the web being folded around the plate by upright idler rollers 68.

In order that the operating parts of the sealing mechanism 51 may move with the web 34 to provide a sufcient period for heat sealing the web and still form neat seals 36 without stretching or wrinkling, this mechanism includes two units 6.9 and 70 each of which carries a plurality of sealing bars 71 (see FIGS. 5 and 8) opposing the bars on the other unit and the two units are given an orbital movement. Thus, the units move together and into engagement with opposite sides of the web and then move along with the web at the same speed at which the latter is advancing. During the period in which the sealing units 69 and 70 are traveling with the web, the bars 71 form a plurality of cross seals 36 and then the units are backed away from the web. The orbital path is completed by the units moving back in a direction opposite to the web advance. In this way, the bars 71 may be supported rmly on the units against twisting and yet may be individually yieldable to produce the optimum pressure for making the seals 36.

To give each of the sealing units 69 and 70 the desired orbital motion, each unit is supported and moved by endless chains disposed above and below the unit. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 5, 7 and 8, the front sealing unit 69 is connected to a pair of endless chains 72 above the unit and a similar pair of chains 72 below (see FIG. 3). In the same manner an upper pair of chains 73 and a lower pair 73 (FIG. 7) support the rear sealing unit 70, the construction for the two units being substantially the same. Thus, the upper chains 73 are disposed end to endand the adjacent ends are driven by sprocket wheels 74 (FIGS. 4 and 8) whose shafts 75 are journaled in a horizontal stationary plate 76 (FIG. 5). The latter is supported on a similar plate 77 which is disposed beneath the sealing units 69 and '70, through the medium of upright posts 78 spanning extensions on the rear of the plates. The posts are bolted to both plates and the lower plate 77 is secured rigidly to the base 37 so that the two plates and the posts form a C-shaped bracket for-supporting the sealing units.

The outer ends of the upper chains 73 are guided around rollers 79 which are journaled between the legs of U-shaped supports 80 (FIGS. 7 and 8) which slide laterally in slots 81 cut in the ends of blocks 82 depending from the upper plate 76. The supports 80 are urged outwardly by compression springs 83 to maintain the chains 73 under the desired tension. The similar pair of chains 72 supportingV the upper end of the front sealing unit 69 are driven by sprocket wheels 86 fast on the shafts 87 (FIG. 4).

' Also, these chains extend around rollers journaled in supports which slide in blocks and are urged outwardly by compression springs, these parts being the same as used in connection with the chains 73. The lower chains 73 for the sealing unit 70 and the chains 72 for the unit 69 are substantial duplicates of the upper chains and the corresponding parts are indicated by the same but primed reference characters.

All of the chains for both sealing units 69 and 70 are driven in unison from the drive shaft 58 through bevel gears 88 (FIG. 4) and an upright shaft 89 which spans the plates 76 and 77 and is journaled in bearings 90 (FIG. 5) in gear housings 91 bolted to the plates. A gear 93 (FIGS. 4, 5 and 8) keyed to the upper end of the shaft 89 drives a gear 94 meshing with one of the gears 95 on the rear sprocket wheel shafts 75. A gear 96 meshing with both of the gears completes the drive to these two shafts and also drives the front chains 72 through an idler gear 97 and gears 98 yon the front sprocket Wheel shafts 87. A similar gear train drives the lower chains as indicated by the primed reference characters in FIG. 4.

lEach of the sealing units 69 and 70 includes a rigid supporting portion 99 which is mounted on the associated chains at widely spaced points to provide a stable mounting for the sealing bars 71 while permitting the latter to be individually yieldable. As .shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, this support 99 for the unit 70 is forme-d by two elongated bars 100 which extend horizontally one above the other lengthwise `of the sealing unit, Vthat is, parallel to the path of the web 34. The two bars are held apart by spacers 101 which are clamped rigidly between the bars by bolts 102. The support 99 is connected to alined links of one of the sets of chains 73 and 73 by a vertical pin 103 (FIG. 7) which is pinned to these links and journaled .in bearings 104 in the bars 100. An enlarged central section 105 of the pin provides shoulders 106 which abut the bearings 104 and prevent the support 99 from moving relative to the pin. As similar pin mounts the support on the other set of chains 73 and 73 and, in the same manner, the support 99 of the front unit 69 is mounted on the chains 72 and 72. With the foregoing arrangement, the sealing bar supports 99. remain precisely parallel to the path of the web 34 while they follow their orbital paths.

The sealing bars 71 on the front unit 69 are received and secured in vertical slots 107 cut in spaced blocks l108 (FIGS. 5 and 6) which are carried on the ends of horizontal screws 109. The latter slide in holes 1-10 in the inner sides of the bars 100. The holes open into enlarged bores 111 which house compression springs 112 acting between heads on the screws 109 and plugs 113. The lat-ter are threaded into the outer ends of the bores to adjust the compression of the springs and hence the force with which the sealing bars 71 are urged outwardly.

While .the sealing bars 71 on the rear unit 70 may also be supported yieldably as are the bars on the front unit 69, it is preferred to mount these rigidly. For this purpose, the bars are received in blocks 108 similar to the blocks 108 and these blocks are carried by screws 109' which, like the screws 109, project into holes 110 in the bars 100 of the unit 70. In this case, however, spacers 114 surround the screws between the blocks 108 and the bars 100 and the screws are tightened to clamp the blocks rigidly against the spacers.

In the present instance, the support 99 of each sealing unit 69 and 70 carries eight sealing bars 71 an-d the bars on one unit directly oppose the bars on the other. Thus, eight cross seals 36 are made each time the two sealing units come together. Preferably, the bars do not act directly on the web 34 but, instead, act through a sheet 115 (FIGS. 7 and 8) of a material which is heat resistant but which transmits heat and does not stick to the web. A suitable material for this purpose is sold under the trade name Teflon by E. I. du Pont de Nemours. One such sheet is used with each sealing unit and extends throughout the length of the unit across the sealing faces of the bars 7,1. The ends of the sheet 115 are bent back around curved guides 116 carried by the support 99 and clamped between jaws 117 on the bars 100. Embedded in each sealing bar 71 is an electric heating coil 118 (FIG. 6) which maintains the bar at t-he proper temperature for forming the heat seals 36.

In addition to the advantages of the sealing mechanism 51 as enumerated previously, this mechanism also permits the heating coils 118 to be connected to power lines easily and without the use of commutator rings. Thus, power from a suitable source is connected through rheostats 119 (FIG. l) in a control panel 120 and t-hen to a signal box 121 mounted on the plate 76. From the box, flexible leads 122 extend to the ends of each sealing unit 69 and 70 and then through a conduit 123 on the associated support 99. Each conduit is formed from a channel 124 (FIG. 5) extending along the outside of the support between the bars 100 and a cover 125. The Shannel is held in place by screws 126 threaded into the spacers 101 and by washers 127 abutting the bars i100 and projecting into slots in the channel. The .individual heating coils 118 are connected to the leads 122 by wires k128 extending through the support 99 to the conduit 1-23.

To provide a backing for the sealing units 69 and 70 as the latter are pressed against the web 34 and thereby increase the rigidity of the mounting of the sealing bars 71, rollers l1-29 and 129 (FIGS. 5 and 7) are journa'led on the upper and lower end portions of the pins 103 and ride along stationary guides 130 and 130 which are supported on the plates 76 and 77 through the medium of the blocks 82. The rollers 129 and 129 are held in position by sleeves 131 which encircle the pins 103 and abut against the bearings 104 so that the chains 73 and 73 (or 72 and 72'), the rollers 129 and 129 and the support 99 are vertically rig-id relative to each other. To prevent the chains from sagging, anges 132 project laterally from the lower ends of the upper guides 130 and the ends of the upper rollers 129 ride on these flanges.

In order that the sealing bars 71 on one of the units 69 and 70 may initially .be alined with the bars on the other unit, the shafts 75 and 87 are connected to their respective sprocket wheels 74 and 86 through identical manual clutches 133 (FIG. 7). The clutch `for the sprocket wheel 74, for example, includes a tapered cylinder 134 received in a mating counterbore l135 in the sprocket wheel 74 and drawn up into the counterbore by a bolt 136 projecting through the shaft 75. On the upper side of the tapered cylinder is a squared lug 137 which is received in a complementary notch in the end of the shaft which has a running t with the sprocket wheel. When the cylinder is drawn tight in the counterbore, the cylinder is connes-ted to the shaft through the lug and frictionally drives the sprocket Wheel. By loosening the bolt 136, the sprocket wheel is disconnected from the drive and the chain 73 may be moved by hand to its proper position relative to the other parts.

With the sealing mechanism 51 constructed as described above, the machine may easily be arranged so that it always stops with the sealing bars 71 Withdrawn from the web. Thus, there is no danger that the web will be overheated from prolonged contact by the sealing units 69 and 70 when the machine is standing idle. For this purpose, the motor 54 is controlled through well-known circuitry by a switch 138 (FIG. 4) actuated by a cam 139 on the drive shaft 38. The cam is shaped to actu-ate the switch only in that portion of the machine cycle in which the sealing units are withdrawn and the control of the motor 54 is arranged so that it cannot be stopped until the switch is actuated.

When the cross seals 36 have .been made to form a series of connected bags, the latter are advanced by the feed rolls 43 to the cut-olf station 45 where the terminal bag is severed from the strip. The cutting is effected by knife units 140 and 141 disposed on opposite sides of the web and operable to cut the web transversely intermediate the edges of each seal 36. As shown in FIG. 4, the knife units 140 and 1-41 comprise upright drums 142 and 143 journaled on the base 37 by means of shafts 144 and 145 (FIG. 4) to turn about their longitudinal axes. The drums are turned continuously from the drive shaft 58 .and carry cutter elements 146 and 147 (FIGS. 10 and 13) respectively which cooperate with each other to sever the end brag.

Herein, the cutter elements 146 are in the form of elongated bars made of hardened steel and hav-ing square cross sections to be received in V-shaped grooves 148 cut lengthwise in the periphery of the drum 142. Preferably, there are four such bars and, when they are positioned in the grooves 148, one corner 149 projects radially outwardly of the drum and serves as a knife edge. To hold the bars in place in the grooves, two fiat surfaces 150 are formed on opposite sides of the drum 142, these surfaces extending from one groove to the next groove and being generally alined with the exposed sides of the bars 146, and plates 151 are clamped to the flat surf-aces 150 by means of bolts 152 to abut against the bar sides. In this way the bars are held securely on the drum 142 but may easily be removed -and turned to expose a different corner when the corner being used becomes dull.

In the case of the knife unit 141, the cutter elements 147 also are bars identical to the bars 146 but are held with a flat side 153 tangentially disposed relative to the drum 143. Thus, the sides 153 serve as anvils for the knife edges 149 so that a knife edge and an anvil cooperate to make each cut (see FIG. 10). Each bar 147 is held between two parallel, yieldable jaws 154 which project outwardly from the drum 143 and are drawn together by bolts 155 which project through one jaw and are threaded into the other. By making the bars 147 the same as the bars 146, the two sets may be interchanged after all four corners of each of the bars 146 have dulled so that the bars 147 then provide the knife edges -while the bars 146 serve as the anvils. In this way, the eight bars originally installed on the machine provide thirty-two knife edges or eight complete changes without replacement.

To drive the drums 142 and 143, a vertical shaft 156 (FIG. 4) is journaled on the base 37 and is driven from the drive shaft 58 through bevel gearing 157. A gear 159 keyed to the upper end of the shaft 156 meshes with an idler gear 160 which, in turn, meshes with a gear 161 on the lower end of the shaft 144 of the drum 142. A second gear 162 keyed to this shaft meshes with a gear 163 equal in size and keyed to the shaft 145 of the drum 143 

1. IN A PACKAGING MACHINE, THE COMBINATION OF, MECHANISM FOR SUPPORTING A SERIES OF BAGS CONNECTED AT THEIR EDGES AND ADVANCING THE SAME EDGEWISE WITH A CONTINUOUS MOTION AT A FIRST PRESELECTED LINEAR SPEED, A CUTTER OPERABLE TO SEVER THE SUCCESSIVE END BAGS, AN ENDLESS CARRIER DISPOSED BEYOND SAID CUTTER AND DRIVEN AT A SECOND PRESELECTED SPEED GREATER THAN SAID FIRST SPEED, SAID CARRIER INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF CLAMPS SPACED ALONG THE CARRIER TO PASS SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH A POSITION ADJACENT TO BUT SPACED FROM SAID CUTTER, MEANS FOR OPENING AND THEN CLOSING EACH CLAMP AS IT PASSES THROUGH SAID POSITION, SAID CLAMPS OPENING REARWARDLY RELATIVE TO THE ADVANCE OF SAID CARRIER AND TOWARD SAID CUTTER TO RECEIVE BAGS FROM SAID CUTTER, A PAIR OF ROLLERS DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID CUTTER AND SAID POSITION AND ARRANGED ADJACENT THE CUTTER TO RECEIVE AND GRIP EACH BAG BETWEEN THEM AS IT IS SEVERED, AND MEANS OPERABLE TO TURN SAID ROLLERS AT A PERIPHERAL SPEED GREATER THAN BOTH OF SAID PRESELECTED SPEEDS THEREBY TO ACCELERATE EACH SEVERED BAG FROM SAID CUTTER AND DELIVER THE BAG INTO SAID CLAMP AT SAID POSITION. 